Drama as suspected drug lord is arrested in Khomasdal

Busted… All sorts of drugs from crack cocaine and dagga, as well as proceeds from the illegal sales were seized from a suspected drug kingpin in Khomasda on Friday.

Windhoek

A suspected notorious drug dealer’s house was searched late on Friday in an anti-drug operation that had been ongoing for several weeks. Drama, however, unfolded as the suspect’s five dogs attacked police officers conducting the operation.

No shots were fired as the police stormed the house, where five fearless pittbull terriers guarding the premises surrounded by high razor-sharp wire and thick burglar bars mounted from inside, charged the police officers.

The windows were secured with 2,5 metre iron bars welded into the walls and the police had to use a ladder to climb through the roof to apprehend a young man said to be the drug king of “Die Laeveld”, as the area is known.

The suspect, however, took his last gamble to flush down some of the drugs and money, but without success as police were unstoppable, despite his fierce dogs. One of the officers was bitten by one of the dogs and had to be taken for treatment. Police used electric prods to keep the dogs at bay.

Police public relations officer Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi said the 38-year-old suspect deterred anyone from coming onto the premises with all the protective measures he applied.

“The premises are protected from inside to outside. With the thick burglar bars on the walls it seems there is hardly any ventilation [inside]. Whenever the customers turn up the suspect is alerted as the dogs start barking,” she said.

“He then only comes to the gate and does his business through a small hole in the steel gate.”

She issued a stern warning to the community at large to destroy the drug market by not supporting such activities. Residents in the vicinity said they appreciate the action from police, but fear that the suspect – who gets arrested often – will be out in no time.

“All that effort committed to the pursuit of a single man, whose arrest – despite his wealth and influence – will do little to alter the dynamics of the drug trade, or the war against it in Khomasdal. It reflects just how potent a symbol this suspect has become in Khomasdal and beyond,” a local resident remarked.